Jimmy Conway

James "Jimmy the Gent" Conway (5 July 1931-13 April 1996) was a Lucchese crime family associate who organized the 1979 Lufthansa heist, the most lucrative cash theft in US history, and the murders of many of the participants afterwards. Conway was of Irish descent, so he could never become a "made man" in the American Mafia, but he was highly respected within Paul Cicero's crew. He was arrested in 1982 for parole violation, and he served the rest of his life in prison, dying in a Buffalo, New York prison in 1996.

Early career
James Conway was born in New York City, New York on 5 July 1931 to an Irish mother from Dublin and an unknown father. His mother placed him in a foster home when he was two, and Conway became involved with organized crime from a young age. He sold cigarettes and liquor as a youth, and he was doing hits for mob bosses at the age of 16. He loved to steal things, and he was often involved in truck hijackings, stealing untaxed cigarettes and liquor. Conway became a big earner in Paul Cicero's Lucchese crime family crew, and he recruited Henry Hill and Tommy DeVito into his sub-crew during the 1950s. Conway impressed Hill with his carefree spending, as Conway would give large tips to doormen for simply holding the door, and to bartenders for keeping the ice cold. Conway was nicknamed "Jimmy the Gent" for his well-mannered personality.

Heist planner
Jimmy Conway's crew took part in the 1967 Air France robbery and the 1978 Lufthansa heist, both of which reaped lucrative rewards; the latter was the most profitable cash robbery in US history. Conway spent 1972-1978 in prison for beating up a gambler in Tampa, Florida, and Hill was held at a separate prison. The two reunited for the Lufthansa heist, and Conway planned the heist and its aftermath very carefully. After the heist, Conway decided to have the majority of those involved in the heist killed, fearing that their spending of large amounts of money would draw attention to the crew, and to ensure that none of them would join the Witness Protection Program. Conway arranged a witness elimination program, killing heist crew members Parnell Edwards, Johnny Cafora (and his wife Joanna Cafora), Robert McMahon, Joe Manri, and Frankie Carbone. Conway also killed the bookmaker Morrie Kessler, who repeatedly bothered him about money owed to him.

Downfall
In 1982, Conway was arrested for parole violation and spent the rest of his life in prison, owing to Henry Hill's work with the FBI and the Witness Protection Program. Conway had previously planned to have Hill killed in the aftermath of the heist, attempting to send him to Florida with Anthony Stabile, who would have killed him. However, Conway found himself in prison, and he died in a Buffalo, New York prison in 1996.